


All In Good Time

by dramatic owl (snarky_panda)



Category: Mulan (1998)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Contemporary, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Gen, Grandmother-Granddaughter Relationship, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 08:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17505023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarky_panda/pseuds/dramatic%20owl
Summary: Grandma of course wanted to know when she was bringing home a man.





	All In Good Time

**Author's Note:**

> Written for both the ladiesbingo challenge for the prompt: Contemporary AU; and for the genprompt_bingo challenge prompt: Hard and Soft. It also happens to fill the 'away' prompt in that ridiculous 100fandoms table, which I am not 100% committing myself to just yet.

Leaving her family to go to university hadn’t been easy for Mulan. Adjusting to big city life after growing up in a small village was a challenge. She missed home, she missed her parents and Grandma, and though eventually she made friends and built up a social life it had taken time.

Grandma, though interested in all of her friends as well as her job and schooling, of course wanted to know when Mulan was going to bring home a man for them to meet. Mulan never felt pressured by these remarks. Grandma Fa genuinely wanted to see her granddaughter married to a good man, but she always assured her it would happen in good time. It had actually become a little bit of a running joke between them, where Grandma always made a crack filled with inuendo about the guys she mentioned and Mulan pretended to be scandalized at her lack of propriety. Then they both ended up doubled over with laughter.

After Mulan finished university she decided to remain in the city. She’d grown to like the fast pace and the exciting, non-stop nightlife, she’d managed to land a good well-paying job in her field, and she wanted to continue to study martial arts in the same school, where the instructors were excellent and where she’d made a terrific friend in Li Shang, a good man and an all-around fantastic martial artist and athlete.

In addition to his physical skill, Shang had in-depth knowledge of the fine points of the different types of martial arts techniques, as well as the philosophy and history behind them. He loved imparting his expertise to her and she loved learning from him. Her expertise was in mathematics and engineering, and until now she’d never thought about the history and philosophy of the martial arts, or the differences between the various techniques, like the Kung Fu hard art versus the Hsing-I or T’ai-Chi Ch’uan soft arts. She’d just wanted to keep fit and learn some self-defense. With Shang’s influence she was becoming almost as enthusiastic about it as he was.

During her next visit home to celebrate the New Year with her family, she shared photos of her friends from the school with her father. Fa Zhou had been an impressive martial arts practitioner himself in his youth, but a severe leg injury at the hands of an overzealous Red Guard had put an end to that. He was clearly enjoying listening to her stories of the techniques she was learning and perfecting now, though, and he seemed proud of her.

“Ooooh, now that’s a man!” Grandma exclaimed.

She’d approached unseen and was now leaning over Father’s other shoulder to see Mulan’s iPhone. Her sharp eye had naturally honed right in on the photos Mulan had taken of Shang demonstrating the five animal forms. Grandma definitely had a knack for spotting the handsomest guy in the room.

“That’s my friend Shang.”

“Just a friend?”

She winked then made a crack about the hard and soft techniques that Mulan had been discussing with her father only two minutes earlier. Father winced and let out a groan.

“Ma!” 

Mama was bent over the kitchen counter concentrating on the dumplings she was shaping, but Mulan caught the shake of her shoulders that gave away the laughter she was trying to hide.

On New Year’s Eve, long after midnight and the fireworks, long after the guests had left and her parents had gone to bed, Mulan joined her grandmother in the quiet kitchen.

“So, this man Shang in the pictures. Do you like him?”

“He’s a really nice guy and a good friend, Grandma. I’m not really ready for more right now, not with anybody, even him.”

“When you’re ready it’ll come. Right now, you’re busy establishing yourself as one of the country’s top engineers.”

Mulan met her gaze with an affectionate smile and found it filled with pride. Grandma beamed at her.

“It’s okay to be sure before you commit yourself to anyone. You know I just like to joke with you.”

She laughed. “I know. And you know I’m not _really_ scandalized by your cracks.” 


End file.
